No Xbox for Japan in 2001?

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Rumors, reports, and quotes on the latest Xbox controversy.

By IGN Staff

Reuters has reported today that, despite Microsoft's statements that the Xbox would appear in Japan "not too far behind" the US launch, the Xbox will miss the Japanese holiday season to make room for a successful US launch. The article points to Deutsche Securities senior analyst Takashi Oya, who has been quoted as saying that ``we expect Microsoft to make the November launch in the United States which is the largest and the most important market for the U.S. company. But the Xbox launch in Japan will most likely be pushed back to March -- the kids' spring break season in Japan, as Microsoft needs to bring in as many consoles as possible to the U.S market at the Christmas season.''

Microsoft stands behind its claims that the company will stick by the Japanese consumers and release the game system soon after the US release. Microsoft has yet to announce a formal release date and price for Japan, though those particular details will no doubt surface during the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, another major milestone for the Xbox's launch cycle. Asked by Reuters whether the Japanese debut will come before the end of this year, Yoshio Hongo, public relations senior manager for the Xbox in Japan said that ``we can't say that clearly. All we can say is not too far behind the U.S. debut.''

The Japanese launch has clearly become an issue, but is this a matter of media nitpicking, or a company over its head for a major system launch? August seems to be the month of revelation, so we won't have long to wait.